ambient

I was doing 14 or 15 hours a day, every day when I was a student. That was for three years. Nowadays I juggle practising with having a full-time lecturing job and caring for my sick mom. I'm lucky to get a few hours a week.

The latest version of Logic has a built-in session bassist. If you're lucky enough to get called to record for someone, it might be because you can deliver that little something else that only you can.

Unless you're Dave Swift or Guy Pratt, playing in time and in tune is essential, and nobody will care what bass you're playing or how many strings it has, especially with remote sessions being very much the thing nowadays.

I have autism and prefer e-mail or text messaging to phone calls. I've been using Bass Direct since before Mark had a shop, and I've always received exemplary service from them. I've been using Bass Bros for the last two years. Again, I've had nothing but exemplary service from them as well. I think people should remember that both are small shops, staffed by knowledgeable, but small workforces. They don't have 24 hour call centres or customer service centres. They probably receive dozens of emails and telephone enquiries each day. As such, it's easy for them to miss one or think they've replied to an email when they haven't. It's also a simple matter to follow your enquiry up with another email or a call if you don't get a reply. We should be supporting these fantastic businesses, rather than criticising them over silly things.

I figure it’s their band, their music and their choice who plays it.. so it's completely irrelevant what the public thinks. I love that they’re doing what they want to, and if people like it too then great, but they certainly aren't doing it just to please others, or to get public approval. I saw them with my brother on the Roll the Bones tour. We were three rows from the front at the NEC. We are both going to go and see them next year, assuming they do UK shows.

They sound like a right bunch of pirates.

It wouldn't open on my phone either. I had to download it on my MacBook.

Thank you.

Thank you. It wants me to become a member and download an app though.

Does anyone have a transcription of Stuart Zender’s bass line for this that they can share, please? Standard notation preferred, please. I struggle to get my head around TAB. Thank you.

Judging by social media and the radio station I was listening to the rerun on yesterday, the anniversary brought back a lot of very happy memories for a great many people. Which is fantastic, in my opinion.

They were in the middle of a very long series of gigs at Wembley Arena. They had their road crew carry the gear across the car park.

I've enjoyed listening to the rerun on the radio. I was 6 at the time, I do remember watching it though. Highlights so far are The Who, Simple Minds, Bowie, Ultravox, U2 and Sting with Branford Marsalis.

My brother’s friend paid several thousand pounds for two tickets.

It seems a bit silly. Surely, if you buy it and return it, then it becomes b-stock? You would probably also have to pay for the return shipping.

They've surely exhausted pillaging the complete canon of Messrs Lennon and McCartney by now?

From my experience as a music lecturer. It’s the events this weekend in Birmingham that most young musicians will be watching. Oasis don't seem to figure highly in my students’ musical influences.

One small mercy. At least there's no talk of a new album.

My thoughts on Rod Stewart’s Glastonbury set. For me, it started badly, it tailed off a little in the middle, and the less said about the end, the better. But, apart from that, excellent.

I commuted three or four times a week from Birmingham to uni in London for three years, with my bass in a gig bag and assorted other stuff. I've even traveled several times with a double bass. I've honestly, never had an issue.